India to join Russia for setting up Nuclear Power Plant on Chandrama

India’s timeplan for a Chandrama base is a bit behind Russia and China’s joint efforts, its involvement in the lunar nuclear power project could fast-track its participation in the creation of lunar infrastructure. In 2023, India had become the fifth country to achieve a successful robotic landing on Chandrama with its Chandrayaan-3 mission. Following this success, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in an October statement, urged the country to pursue “new and ambitious goals”, including sending astronauts to Chandrama by 2040.

Russia has already made some progress and now aim is to launch a nuclear reactor by 2036, providing a reliable source of energy to power the proposed lunar base, being jointly developed with China. This base, known as the International Lunar Research Station (ILRS), is expected to be operational between 2035 and 2045 and will serve as a hub for scientific research, open to all interested countries.

India, with its own ambition of setting up a lunar base by 2050, will find this collaboration as a potential opportunity to accelerate its space goals.

India joining up with Russia is going to benefit both over their quest of establishing a manned base on Chandrama / Lunar. Therefore India has shown interest in teaming up with Moscow for setting up a nuclear power plant on the lunar soil.

The initiative, led by Russia’s state nuclear corporation Rosatom, is part of a larger plan to establish a permanent lunar base in partnership with China. The project aims to install a small nuclear reactor capable of generating up to 0.5 megawatt of energy, which will provide the essential power needed to support a future lunar colony.

 Russia’s state news agency Tass, Rosatom chief Alexey Likhachev recently talked of the growing international interest in his speech at the Eastern Economic Forum. “The task we are working on is the creation of a lunar nuclear power plant with an energy capacity of up to half a megawatt,” Likhachev said. “Both our Chinese and Indian partners are very interested in collaborating as we lay the groundwork for several international space projects.”

Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) Chairman S Somanath has already outlined a provisional roadmap for Chandrama exploration during a talk on November 28, 2023, at a symposium organised by the Indian Society of Geomatics and the Indian Society of Remote Sensing. This plan builds upon India’s recent lunar accomplishments and its growing human spaceflight ambitions.

While India’s timeline trails Russia and China’s joint efforts, its involvement in the lunar nuclear project could fast-track its participation in the creation of lunar infrastructure, EurAsian Times reported.

The technological solutions needed for this complex venture are reportedly nearing completion. Rosatom plans to construct the nuclear plant autonomously, minimising human involvement, a significant feat that underscores the advancement in space technology.

Russian space agency Roscosmos, and China’s National Space Administration have been advancing their space collaboration since 2021, when they first unveiled plans to build the ILRS. However, geopolitical tensions, particularly with the US, could influence the scope and nature of international cooperation on the lunar base.

The importance of nuclear power for lunar exploration cannot be overstated. NASA has been considering the use of nuclear reactors for future lunar bases, as solar power has limitations. Chandrama’s long 14-day lunar nights make solar energy unreliable, while nuclear power offers a continuous and stable energy source critical for sustaining a long-term presence.

India’s involvement in this lunar nuclear power plant project is another step in the global race to establish a permanent presence on Chandrama.

Despite the complexity of the project, safety remains a top priority. Scientists have assured that transporting nuclear fuel to Chandrama is safe, with minimal radiation risks, even in the event of a launch failure. Moreover, the reactors are designed to automatically shut down if any issues arise, further reducing safety concerns.